Former Manchester United director Michael Knighton has confirmed that he and a consortium are in the process of drawing up a bid to try and buy Manchester United from the Glazer family.
The Glazers, who bought United in 2005, are under increasing pressure to sell the club following a hugely underwhelming summer in the transfer window. The appointment of Erik ten Hag as the club’s new manager was supposed to signal the beginning of a new dawn at the club, but a lack of activity in the transfer market has increased pressure on the American family to sell up.
Hundreds of United supporters staged a protest against the Glazers ahead of Sunday’s Premier League season opener against Brighton, marching from MediaCity to Old Trafford. Once inside, anti-Glazer chants rang around the stadium, with Avram Glazer, attending for the first time in almost a year, watching from the directors’ box.
Their ownership of the club has become untenable, with supporters pleading with them to sell up. Perhaps music to the ears of United fans, Knighton has confirmed that he, with the support of a consortium, wants to buy the club. But who exactly is Knighton? Here is everything you need to know about him:
Who is he?
Knighton is a 70-year-old British businessman who started out in life by trying to become a footballer. He secured an apprenticeship as a youngster at Coventry City but was forced to cut his footballing career short because of injury.
Following that, Knighton moved into teaching, becoming a P.E teacher at what is now known as Huddersfield Grammar School. He would later go on to become headteacher at the school, before ditching a teaching career in 1984 to take up property interests.
Five years later, Knighton announced his arrival in the world of football, submitting a £20million bid to purchase United. At the time, it was a record offer to purchase a British football club and it was accepted by chief executive Martin Edwards, leading to Knighton, somewhat prematurely, announcing his arrival at the club by taking to the pitch in a full United kit prior to the team’s opening game of the 1989-90 league season against Arsenal.
Following several weeks of discussions and negotiations, though, key investors withdrew and Knighton abandoned his bid to buy the Reds, instead opting for a seat on the board of directors. After failing to buy United he went on to purchase Carlisle United in 1992 and left ten years later after the club was put into voluntary administration. He has not been involved in football since.
What would his bid mean?
Hopefully, better times, at the very least. Although he has not worked in football for several years, Knighton knows United inside out and clearly holds the club dearly to his heart, serving the club’s board between 1989 and 1992.
Knighton would not have the financial might to fund a deal to buy the club on his own and would require the support of a consortium to make his bid possible, which is the route he is going down.
What has Knighton said about buying United and the current state of the club?
“We are a club in crisis and we all know the reason why,” he told Man Utd The Religion this week. “We have inept and frankly useless ownership who know little about this game of football.
“Everyone knows that we need new ownership of this football club and that is my aim and my objectives. I am making good progress, continuing to talk to the people, I have got some good pledges and good finance.
